Shop size?

[rstuart0323]

Hey, this is my first time posting and I'm new to the forum. I've been reading this forum for a few weeks now and really think its a great forum.

Okay, so my wife finally gave me the go ahead to build a shop. We are trying to decide on the dimensions.

We want It to be able to store our camper we have now and a larger one we can upgrade too as our family grows, and a boat and have a workshop area that I can do a general variety of tasks such as all my welding, woodworking, servicing my vehicles and machines.

what dimensions do you think would fit my needs? and any tips and advice would be great! things you did that you would or wouldn't do again, or if you could go back things you would do differently.

Thanks for your contributions,
Ryan

 

[James-W]

You really need to check your local building department before doing anything. Depending on where you live there may be restrictions on size.

 

[rstuart0323]

Yeah I live in a very rural area with a population of less than a thousand so the building regulations are very slim. I talked to them last week and with my location and amount of property I own I can do up to a 50x60. I was just hoping to be able to do one smaller and still meet my needs.

 

[GYPSY400]

Well it depends on the size of the camper and the boat.
The other thing to consider is if your just building to store toys you may want to consider a lean-to off the side so they stay out of the elements, but you don't need a huge building. The other thing to consider is dust from wood working and welding getting all over said toys.
In regards to welding and wood working, they shouldn't be done in the same area if you do a lot of both as you would have to clean up one project to do another.
Do you have to heat it? Then smaller is better as its generally cheaper to heat smaller buildings

As far as regrets.. I put my electrical plugs only 2ft from the floor, I should have put them at 4ft because now I have to move something to get at a plug.

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

 

[matt_i]

I was going to suggest a 40x60. That should keep you going for a few years In many cases the budget dictates the actual size.

After you establish that, the next big decisions are the method of framing, your level of involvement, exterior finish, roof material, how much of it will be climate controlled...there are a million little details to take care of...

 

[ctgoodman]

Build it with a 14' tall door to accommodate the largest possible RV you can take on the road. With a boat and an RV you will want as much room as possible. Have you also considered multiple structures. One nice workshop building and a large more budget friendly storage building for the toys?

 

[rstuart0323]

Thank you, I think you might be right with the lean-to idea. I just want the shop to do all my mechanic work and the other stuff I mentioned. I don't do enough of either to justify separating them entirely by a room. I'm not a great welder or wood worker, more of a tinkerer than anything. The camper we have now is a 24' but in a few years we are planning on a 40' toy hauler. I have the mindset of building for what I plan on having not exactly what I have yet.

if I did a lean-too I think I would put metal tin on the three sides of it since we have such bad winters here.

Ive been leaning towards a 30x40 or something similar in size. but I might not even need it do be that wide if I do a lean-too. I already have a 2-car garage and this is just for the additional toys and a workshop. I would like the main house garage to be just for our vehicles and storage.

 

[rstuart0323]

I think I need to go to the area I want to put it and actually stake out these common dimensions of shops. its hard to imagine these sizes without actually seeing them. I should go to some other shops in town and see their dimensions and see how they would accommodate my plans

 

[rstuart0323]

but 14' door is good to know. I've heard a lot of people say 14-20' wide as well. I think if I park a camper and a boat side by side it might be nice to have an extra wide door instead of two smaller doors. I also have lots of other trailers that sometimes need work on and it would be nice to be able to pull them in as well.

 

[930dreamer]

X2 ON 40X60 or bigger. welcome.

 

[rstuart0323]

basically the biggest I can afford and legally build on my property?
is that right?

Ill tell my wife you guys said it has to be that big and maybe she will get on board!

 

[Stuart in MN]

Besides staking out the ground, simply sit down with a pencil and paper and draw it out. Measure your trucks, cars, RV, tools, benches, etc. and put it to scale. It can be useful to actually cut out little squares of paper that are the size of each object, so you can move them around on the building plan to quickly try different arrangements. Make sure to leave adequate working space around each object.

 

[shedfullatools]

Play with designs in Sketchup https://www.sketchup.com/
Anyone can learn to use it, its a really good visual and you might even be able to download your particular boat and camper Can also download all sorts of tools and landscaping and stuff

 

[Falcon67]

Better IMHO - go get 1000' of decent nylon string and a bundle of grade stakes. Go find a spot, stake out some box size. Use stakes to ID man door(s), overhead doors, parking, work areas, etc. Park the camper in the space. Get the dimensions on a boat - stake it out. Do it full scale - you'll find out right quick what works. I did about 5 layouts on paper, all good. Got it out on the ground and 4 went out the window right quick. You also get to see the lay of the land and if your building spot is going to work they way you think (slopes, tree removal, power runs, etc, etc.

 

[Bessy]

+1 for sketchup, though there's not a lot in the way of boats in the model library, as it doesn't work particularly well with complex curves. That said depending on the level of detail you are looking for it's a plenty suitable program. The best aspect of the program I would have to say is it's ability to form groups and components that can be copied and moved around easily from place to place, as well as having the ability to build in layers and have them appear and disappear as you see fit, (this is good when you don't want the distraction of a particular component or group while trying to work on another aspect.

Obviously laying out the larger aspects with string is a pretty good method to see how things look in real life (as they can seem greatly different on paper or screen). It also allows you to pace things out and get a feel for how far things are apart (how many steps does it take to get from the chop saw to the bathroom when you get a shard of metal in your hand for instance).

 

[James-W]

Better IMHO - go get 1000' of decent nylon string and a bundle of grade stakes. Go find a spot, stake out some box size. Use stakes to ID man door(s), overhead doors, parking, work areas, etc. Park the camper in the space. Get the dimensions on a boat - stake it out. Do it full scale - you'll find out right quick what works. I did about 5 layouts on paper, all good. Got it out on the ground and 4 went out the window right quick. You also get to see the lay of the land and if your building spot is going to work they way you think (slopes, tree removal, power runs, etc, etc.

I agree, that is by far the best way of doing it. You will be able to see first hand exactly how it will be once the building is completed.

 

[bucktruck]

Whatever you build will be half the size you need, and will cost twice what you expected.

 

[Moose97]

If 50X60 is as big as you can build then that's the size to build. Sounds like you already have a lot of space needs. Those won't likely diminish over time. Build as absolutely large as you can. You won't regret it. If you build smaller you will always wish you had gone bigger. Likely the regrets will start after you place the last piece of equipment in the new shop.

 

[sberry]

I agree about going to 50x60, there is a lot more elbow room. If I was building a new hobby/home shop that is about what it would be. Its no way too big especially with camper. In fact if that was part of the plan would add extension just for it to get it out of the way to start with.

Likely the regrets will start after you place the last piece of equipment in the new shop.

I bet they start sooner than that.

 

[vettex2]

make the biggest structure that is legal and you can afford.

 

[Voi]

Thank you, I think you might be right with the lean-to idea. The camper we have now is a 24' but in a few years we are planning on a 40' toy hauler.

I would try to design a building that allows you to store the camper to one side. I'm not a fan of seeing a massive fifth wheel stored in the center of a barn if that's where it's easiest to put in the tallest door. Of course if that's what works out best for your budget then it's better than storing them outside.

A lean-to is great as long as you can justify the height of the sidewall on the main building to accommodate a 14' overhead door on the lean-to.

I also recommend making the camper storage section wide enough that you can walk around the RV while the slides are open and getting ready for a trip. I guess with a toy hauler it would be ideal to have the ramp down in the shop as well but personally I'd want to make sure at least the slide outs could be left open.

If you could have drive through parking that might allow you to put a ramp down and load your toys while the toy hauler is still shaded in the shop.

I know the maximum allowable size of a fifth wheel RV went up recently but I'm not sure what the maximum allowable width is or if it changed.

 

[XRlifer]

Totally agree with everyone that says to build as big as you can afford. Mine started out as a 24X30 simply to store my RV, tractor and a few other yard machines. Then it went to 24x36.....then the wife says 'if you're gonna build, build it once. Who was I to argue, so it ended up a 36x48. It's still not big enough but what I could afford.

 

[ryan77]

in the 90's 30x40 kits were popular, but now I see the 40x60 kits to be popular, and well priced as a common size kit, I would not go any smaller if storing an rv and boat inside and wanting to do any work on hobbies.

 

[astroracer]

Check out FBI and grizzly for some good pole barn planners.
http://www.fbibuildings.com/planning-tools/pole-barn-design-tool
http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner

Remember, your barn size is to the outside of the building, actual usable space will be a foot shorter on the inside.
Keep you over head doors at least 4' off the inside walls. This leaves room for benches, storage and opening car doors.
If you ever plan on a 2 post hoist 4" of 3000PSI concrete is plenty. There is no need to pour "extra thick" for a hoist per BendPaks Site.
As was mentioned put your outlets 4' or 5' feet off the floor with one every 4' to 6' along the walls.
There is a lot more but we'll let you chew on this for a while.
Mark

 

[lakeroadster]

30 x huge is what I would recommend.

30 ft trusses will be less expensive and will reduce the building height.

Lean to's **** for vehicle storage. Varmits love them though.

 

[Onewolf]

30 x huge is what I would recommend.

30 ft trusses will be less expensive and will reduce the building height.

Lean to's **** for vehicle storage. Varmits love them though.

30 x huge? With a 40ft RV that implies the RV/boat door(s) will be on the 30 ft side. To fit an RV and boat side by side only leaves about 8 ft left over on the sides. That's not nearly enough room for storage and a workshop. I would go at least 40x50 or 50x50.

 

[James-W]

Whatever you build will be half the size you need, and will cost twice what you expected.

There is a lot of truth in that statement.

 

[John in OH]

Old fella once told me to:

a) decide exactly what work I want to do in the new shop and allow floor space for that work;
b) then layout in 1/4 scale on 1/4 graph paper all the benches, machine tools, storage, parking, etc. to get an idea of that floor space requirement;
c) using a) & b) above, layout the work spaces and tool/storage stuff in a workable arrangement;
d) calculate the resulting floor space;
e) then double it !!!!

 

[rburke65]

"Hoping to go smaller to meet my needs" ........well if hats the case, then all ya have to do is get rid of the woodworking equipment, sell the boat and the camper, buy a tent and a canoe. Do the 50'x 60', 12' to 14' tall. You don't have yo do this all at once....put it up and finish it as money allows. Print this out and stick it up in the garage that you build if other than a 50' X 60' ....and you will kick yourself. We have all been there. Good luck!

 

[zmotorsports]

Yeah I live in a very rural area with a population of less than a thousand so the building regulations are very slim. I talked to them last week and with my location and amount of property I own I can do up to a 50x60. I was just hoping to be able to do one smaller and still meet my needs.

If the city said you can go 50x60 then I would go 50x60. Trust me, I too started with a camper at my last home. I built a 34'x34'x14' because that was the largest the city would let me build on my 1/4 acre lot. I had the truck and camper for only a couple of years. I then bought a 30' Class A motorhome and it BARELY fit. Right up against the workbench at the back and I could barely get the rollup door closed. Then as I gained equipment the motorhome had to sit outside. I had that motorhome for 6 years then stepped up to a 38' diesel pusher and forget about it ever fitting inside the shop for anything, minor repair or not.

Fast forward to now, we recently moved to a 3/4 acre lot so I could build a 50x60x16 with a 20x50 bay for our now 40' diesel coach with the ability to park a 45' coach in the event I ever decided to step up. I could easily park a 45' Prevost or Newell if I ever choose in the RV bay and still have a 40x50 shop section to perform my work on about anything I need to.

I say to build it the max the city will allow otherwise you will more than likely outgrow it.

Mike.

 

[pogrelis97]

I would do a 50x60. not sure how big of a boat you have or plan to get but I can only fit a 32ft boat in my 40ft deep shop. Which is fine for now but I'm putting on a 16x60 addition for the future boat.
50 ft deep would allow you to put the 40ft toyhauler and a 38-42ft boat in the shed and only use 25-30ft of the shop width leaving you plenty of room for tools, atv's, random projects, and a good sized beer fridge!

 

[ducksface]

One thing to think of is the level of finish you desire.
Many people have sheds they call a garage.
At 50x60, you're looking at $300,000 to fully finish it.

Sheds are less, fully finished seldom is.

 

[tlmartin84]

Mine is 34 x 44, and It has a 14' wide by 44' Long "lean to" for my trailer and "stuff".

I am just now moving in, and I am having a hard time "fitting" everything in my shop where it is easy to use. For the additional price, a second lean to would have been nice.

View media item 69244
Go as big as you can and you won't regret it!

 

[zmotorsports]

One thing to think of is the level of finish you desire.
Many people have sheds they call a garage.
At 50x60, you're looking at $300,000 to fully finish it.

Sheds are less, fully finished seldom is.

This will be dependent on the area of course. Mine will be fully finished, ie sheetrocked, mudded, painted, lighting, etc in both the shop side and the RV garage side and won't be anywhere near the $300k mark you mentioned. Outside is also being finished to similar degree with brick, stucco and asphalt architectural shingles, not cheap by any means but about half of what you mentioned and probably $30k of that is concrete driveway.

For the OP, I would get quotes and see what must be finished completely vs. what can wait and be finished a little at a time if I were you.

Mike.

 

[Aberdale]

If 50X60 is as big as you can build then that's the size to build. Sounds like you already have a lot of space needs. Those won't likely diminish over time. Build as absolutely large as you can. You won't regret it. If you build smaller you will always wish you had gone bigger. Likely the regrets will start after you place the last piece of equipment in the new shop.

+1

Too bad you are limited to only a 50x60. I built a 40x60 building in 2008, which seemed plenty big at the time. I don't store any vehicles, trailers, boats, or motorcycles in it. It is strictly used for mechanical work and painting. You will be surprised how much space your tool acquisitions will take up. Start thinking about a roll around tool box, an air compressor, a welder, workbenches, small part storage, and in my case, drill presses, grinders, a metal lathe, a milling machine, a lift, an overhead hoist, floor jacks, pallet jacks, etc.

Start a rough layout to scale of all of the stuff you plan to put in the space and you will soon realize that you will need much more than you expect.

BTW, in addition to the 40x60 shop, I also have a 3 car garage that is two daily drivers and 15 motorcycles, a 20x40 shed with 3 restored vehicles and 3 more in waiting, and a 40x60 barn used for tractors, mowers, lawn tools, and just odd stuff. And I could still use more space.

Another thing to keep in mind (and one of the reasons I limited my shop to 40x60), is the cost to heat and cool the space, and the property tax impact. I could easily have afforded to build a bigger shop, but I didn't want to pay the extra every year in property taxes and the heating/cooling bill.

 

[sberry]

50x60 is half the size of mine. It would be a lot easier to keep comfy and light, way less walking than it is. Only reason I would have went to 100 long would have been more space along walls. I really dont need more but I have an additional 80x100 storage plus a couple small places to keep the shop empty.
My goal is empty place, I don't need it at the moment, not working on it, out the thing goes.